I have modified the original recipe quite a bit. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe. They came out much too wet (little puddles under the cupcake liners) and excessively sweet, although still entirely edible. I imagine that what kind of applesauce you use, and how thick (versus watery) it is will affect how much applesauce it is appropriate to use. I use Trader Joe's organic unsweetened applesauce and found that decreasing it by a quarter worked well. I also cut the sugar by half (still plenty sweet!) and found that I could decrease the fat by a quarter. I also tend to be generous with the cinnamon and vanilla, with no ill effects. In addition, I let the batter sit for a bit after mixing to make sure the whole grains have plenty of time to absorb the liquid. I'm not sure this is strictly necessary, but I find this to be a good policy in general when dealing with whole grains (I do this with my whole grain pancakes).

Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add wet mixture. Stir until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in cranberries or raisins if desired. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes so that whole grains can absorb liquids. Batter should be thick and not runny.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes and then pop out with fork and allow to cool completely on a rack.

Thick batter! I found a heaping 1/8 scoop was the best tool for filling the muffin cups.

The original recipe warned to not overbake or they would be dry. I can't ever really see these muffins being dry. I usually bake closer to 20 minutes and until the tops and edges are pretty golden brown. If you use too much applesauce, it will be hard to tell when they are done because they will be too wet (although as they cool some of that moisture will get absorbed too). These muffins do not come out huge with a ginormous muffin top, which is my preference, smaller portions being more suitable for little ones. My muffins actually usually sink back a little bit from their highest rise when cooling.

You could substitute 2 to 3 T honey (decreasing milk by a tablespoon accordingly), but it could be tough to incorporate well, especially in larger batches. Maple syrup would be easier, and delicious! I'll have to try that one of these days and update this post. Let me know if you try it.

Fork worked the best for removal.

I hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know any changes you make and how they turned out!

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